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I've decided 35mm is my favourite lens. For a while now, I've been thinking to upgrade my Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 to a Leica glass.

I have a bit of a tight budget and for what I can play with, right now I could actually get a Summilux 1.4 (V2) or a Summarit 2.5 ASPH. 

I know the Summilux V2 is quite old and very 'dreamy' at 1.4 (which I'm not sure I may like it) although the extra stops are quite nice....the summarit in the other hands has all the modern specs of today's lenses.

Any advices in here?

Thanks!

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How often do you think you will use a 35mm lens at f1.4? Might give you a steer on what 'glass' to buy. FWIW, all of Leica's glass is bought in, they then make elements and assemble them into lenses.

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Summarit-M 2.4/35mm I presume at £1200.

I'm fan of my 2.5/35mm second hand which can be bought for less than that.

 

This last Summarit-M 2.5/35mm is my favorite now, after years (or decades) use of Leitz/Leica 35mm as Summilux asph. or not, Summicron asph. or non asph. even 

Summaron f2.8/f3.5 .

For used with film, f/2.5 is quite good and be used without fear wide open, and I've never found less IQ than other more expensive Leica lenses.

If you use with sensor, maybe it can show some less IQ only wide open (for it's curvature of field not even which can have less impact for portrait for example)

but from f/4 onward, I have no complain.

 

 

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I have Summarit-M 35 2.5. I purchased it new for incredibly low price. It is just  as ASPH as 2.4, but smaller filter size.

It is fantastic lens on darkroom bw prints and sharp lens on M-E.

 

2.5 means film pushed  to ISO1600 and 1/8 on the dark streets. 

With 1.4 it is 1/30 with ISO 400 film.

So, from November to March it is kind of limiting lens. Sometimes I'm thinking of selling it and else just to be able to get used Lux 35 1.4 ASPH. And here is Nokton 35 1.4 II which is not properly reviewed lens yet... 7Artisans are coming with their big 35 1.4 as well.

 

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If you want “Leica” glass, the Summarit is a hard proposition not to make. I bought the current f2.4 version new and prefer using it over the version 1 f2 Summicron ASPH I still have. Tried the f1.4 FLE for a while too. Sold that.

The 35 and 75mm f2.4 Summarits make quite a compelling, lightweight two lens outfit that I also usually add the 21mm f3.4 Super Elmar.

Edited by Gregm61
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I have both lenses. Different beasts indeed. If you need speed the Summarit won't do it. Otherwise it is a very good lens indeed. My only gripes are its CA and relative softness at edges and corners below f/5.6. Also its aperture ring is a bit lose on my copy and the lens doesn't feel as sturdy as its competitor C-Biogon 35/2.8. I prefer the latter which is sharp at all apertures and has less flare and less CA but it has also more vignetting and it is a very contrasty lens. Its dot is blue and not red too ;). FWIW.

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It really depends on what YOUR goals are... These lenses are very different...

If you want the MODERN look, go for the summarit.

Anything else, my advice would be to test them out first before jumping.. If not feasible, then follow the recommendations enumerated above.

Albert

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59 minutes ago, ianman said:

Greg, for what reasons? Image quality or some other factor?

Lighter (it's lighter than the 28mm f2.8 ASPH), I prefer the metal screw-in lens hood on the cosmetics-side, the lens shows less fringing that needs to be corrected later and you can place the sun right in the frame if you have to with little to no fear of flare or bell-shaped reflections the Summicron ASPH produces consistently if the sun is in or anywhere near the field of view.

In addition to using with my M262, I just shot the first couple of rolls of Ektar 100 film through the M6 with the two Summarits and look forward to seeing/processing the DNG scans from Simple Photography labs.

Edited by Gregm61
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The Summi 35 ASPH 2.0 is a very nice lens but I just don't like it all that much, a bit harsh. 

Lately I've gone way back to the Summi-C 40mm 2.0 and love it, especially the size & weight.  Very compact.  And the Rokkor version even more due to 39mm threading.  They are optically identical.

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3 minutes ago, sblutter said:

The Summi 35 ASPH 2.0 is a very nice lens but I just don't like it all that much, a bit harsh. 

Lately I've gone way back to the Summi-C 40mm 2.0 and love it, especially the size & weight.  Very compact.  And the Rokkor version even more due to 39mm threading.  They are optically identical.

the Rokkor has 40.5 thread whilst the Summicron-C has 39 x 0.75 thread (as opposed to the more normal 39 x 0.5).

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20 minutes ago, Matlock said:

the Rokkor has 40.5 thread whilst the Summicron-C has 39 x 0.75 thread (as opposed to the more normal 39 x 0.5).

Indeed and there is not one Rokkor but two. The early one was sold with the Minolta CL and is a copy of the Summicron-C with 40.5 filters while the later Rokkor was sold with the Minolta CLE. It has also 40.5mm filters but it has not the sloping focus cam of its predecessor and it is a bit less prone to flare due to more efficient coating. Its optical formula is the same though and it is hard to tell which is which when comparing side by side pictures taken with the same camera.

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